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Examining FOXSports.com's Top 200 college football players of 2005

August 27, 2005
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com

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6. QB Omar Jacobs, Jr., Bowling Green
I really hope that the country has quit overlooking the Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a source of legit NFL talent. If you're looking for a bias from me, it might be toward the MAC, as when I lived in Huntington, WV working as a news producer at WSAZ-TV from December 1999-April 2001, I caught the Marshall football bug. Now I know that Marshall is no longer in the MAC, but when I was there they were, and I became familiar with the teams in the conference and the players. I remember when Chad Pennington went in the first round to the Jets (and WSAZ doing a live shot from his house in east Tennessee); people knew about Marshall because of Randy Moss, but now they were finding out about the school not because of a guy who bounced around and ended up there, but because of a bona fide good guy who chose to go there, thrived in a good system, and succeeded. Since then, we've seen Byron Leftwich (also from Marshall) and last year's surprise story, Ben Roethlisberger (Miami University -- they don't like it when you call it "Miami of Ohio") emerge from the MAC to become legit strong NFL QBs.

Now it's Omar Jacobs' turn to shine. Consider this: Urban Meyer recruited Jacobs to Bowling Green, which should tell you something right there. One list I read (from the Orlando Sentinel) had Jacobs listed as the nation's #2 college QB, only behind Matt Leinart. Last year Jacobs threw 41 TDs and 4 INTs. Talk about accuracy, the guy has got it. He was the 2004 MAC Offensive Player of the Year, and now he's back to terrorize the conference once again. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer lists Jacobs as a potential dark-horse Heisman candidate. I wouldn't go that far (the Heisman is part exposure and hype, part talent, and at Bowling Green the exposure and hype won't be there unless they run the table, and even then it won't be enough), but Jacobs is a star in the making. I've held off on putting him in the first round of my NFL mock, wondering if perhaps he'll come back to Bowling Green... but why? The more I think about it, the more I realize he's a pretty safe bet to come out and be a first round pick, thanks to his polished passing skills.

7. DE Mathias Kiwanuka, Sr., Boston College
Kiwanuka was a lock to be a first round pick in the 2005 Draft... but he opted to return to BC for his senior season. You never can tell who will break through at DE, since the position can have some stars who come out of nowhere, but Kiwanuka is one of those guys who you can pencil into your mock draft before the season and be about 95% safe that he'll still be there when the draft rolls around, barring injury. He'd need to have a David Pollack junior year drop-off to fall out of the first round at this point.

8. WR/KR Ted Ginn Jr., Soph., Ohio State
Is there a more electrifying player in college football right now than Ted Ginn, Jr.? I think not. For someone who has touched the ball only 59 times total in his college career, Ginn is receiving Heisman hype -- and understandably so. Fast, elusive, multi-talented, the guy is primed for a big season in 2005. He won't be draft-eligible until the 2007 draft, and with Ohio State not having a high profile RB, defenses will be keying on him as best as they can this year. But keying on Ginn, and actually containing him, are two different things. His off-the-field character is strong as well, which only further enhances his chances for future success.

9. LB A.J. Hawk, Sr., Ohio State
Speaking of Ohio State, it's Ginn's teammate, A.J. Hawk. This is a very strong draft when it comes to senior OLBs (Hawk, Virginia's Ahmed Brooks, and Iowa's Chad Greenway), and while I have Brooks ranked ahead of Hawk on my draft board, FOXSports.com gives the nod to Hawk on the college football level. The fact that Hawk ran an off-season 4.46 40 doesn't hurt his stock any.

10. DT Kyle Williams, Sr., LSU
Here's the first spot where I'd suggest that what is anticipated on the college level and where players are expected to go in the NFL Draft begin to split. FOXSports.com says that Williams will be a "good first day draft choice", which is likely, but there are potential first rounders like Gabe Watson (Michigan), Rodrique Wright (Texas), Orien Harris (Miami), etc. who I think have more pro potential at this point. But again, remember that pro potential and expectations for the college season are two different things.


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